Suspension electrospinning of SBR latex combined with photo-induced crosslinking: control of nanofiber composition, morphology, and properties

Suspension electrospinning of a styrene-butadiene rubber (SBR) latex coupled with photo-induced crosslinking in ambient conditions is proposed as a rapid method to prepare ultrafine shape-stable rubber fibrous membranes. Polyethylene oxide (PEO) is used as template polymer and can eventually be removed from the nanostructured membrane by a simple water treatment. A multifunctional thiol crosslinker and an appropriate photo-initiating system are added to the latex to allow the fast and efficient photo-induced crosslinking of the nanofibers, based on thiol addition to the SBR double bonds, as demonstrated by real-time Infrared spectroscopy analyses. It is proved that by varying the PEO template polymer and the thiol crosslinker content, a fine control of the chemical composition, morphology, water solubility, and thermal properties of the nanofibrous membranes is ensured. Moreover, comparable mechanical properties to those of fibrous membranes produced by conventional electrospinning of organic solvent-based solutions are obtained, clearly showing the attractiveness of the present method, especially in terms of process sustainability. Graphical abstract